


King Atobe's New Clothes

by GlassNoRouyaDeUnazuku



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: AU, Gen, Hyotei - Freeform, King Atobe, Rikkaidai - Freeform, St. Rudolph - Freeform, fable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 15:18:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9078433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlassNoRouyaDeUnazuku/pseuds/GlassNoRouyaDeUnazuku
Summary: King Atobe is a wealthy King from a faraway land that uses all his gold on new clothes.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Xmas Ouji gift to TomoTurtlez, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s Keiserens Nye Klæder (The Emperor’s New Clothes).
> 
> The receipt added to the prompts a sentence asking if Atobe could have a nice outfit for once, so after discussing it with some friends I decided to make an Atobe centered funny shortfic with some images. I gotta thank Alex (@homoerotic-volleyball-montage) for giving me the main idea for this, @holycowbrowniekitty and @ayameandfriends, for proofreading and checking the drawings before I put everything together.

**King Atobe’s new clothes.**

 

On a faraway land, many years ago, there was a King so beautiful and skillful he did not admit anything but the most expensive and most well-made fabrics to touch his precious body.  So he used to spend huge sums of gold on being well-dressed.  Every time he left his castle the citizens were impressed by how exuberant his clothes were.

“Mom, our King left the castle looking like a peacock again!” Said a little boy named Akaya Kirihara, to his mother, when he saw their King parading around town.

“Akaya, come inside, dinner is ready and your dad will arrive soon!” Ordered his mother, Seiichi Sanada.

Their King, Keigo Atobe I, was doing another parade around the city, it was supposed to be an event to celebrate the harvest, but all the villagers knew it was just a way for the King to show off his new clothes.  The nobility stared amazed; Baron Hajime Mizuki IV was standing on his viewing spot, next to the higher ranked personnel, tearing himself apart over King Atobe’s clothes.

“Hn, the King thinks he is looking good with those new robes, but I am way better than him.” He said, while twirling his precious hair-lock on a finger.

In this beautiful city, capital of the Charm Point Kingdom, life was always spirited, filled with parties and festival’s sponsored by the King. It attracted many visitors, especially swindlers, which hoped to fall on the King’s good graces so they would be done for life, making clothes for his majesty.

It was a Monday morning when two unknown man reached the city gates, Ryo Shishido, captain of the Royal Guard and Minister of War, went to greet them, to know what they wanted on the capital of the Charm Point Kingdom.

“You two, stop on your step, what did you come to do on the Charm Point capitol?” Asked him.

Shishido suspected the two men. They did not have many distinguish characteristics, but their smiles had something that screamed fake, for the captain. The two men approached the gate and the silver haired one answered.

“My name is Masaharu Niou and this is my associate Syusuke Fuji, we are two renowned weavers, we heard your king enjoys majestic fabrics for his robes and we can produce a fabric no one has ever seen before.” He let out a small laugh when he said it, what made Shishido suspect their characters even more.

“We are just trying to sell our clothes, Mr. Knight. Please let us in into the city.” The second weaver said.

Shishido thought for some minutes if he should let them in or not. They were really suspicious but if the King heard he had let two weavers out of the town without a probable cause he would be the one hearing complains for weeks. So he decided to let them in, what worst they could do? Only make his King spend more money on clothes, thing that he would do with them or without them in the city.

Less than a week after, Shishido got a notice saying he should report to the King’s council. He did not need any explanation to know it was those two weavers that had an audience of the King. And, as always, he had requested his three most trusted advisors to stand on the Council while he tried on clothes, a thing that none of them particularly enjoyed.

The captain entered the Council’s room and greeted his two friends, the other Council members, Minister of Faith, Choutaro Ootori and Minister of Knowledge, Yuushi Oshitari. Choutaro seemed scared; he was new under the King’s orders so he still did not know how the Coucil’s meetings worked. Yuushi was reading a book and did not bother to raise his head to greet him.

“Shishido-san, why did the King called us here? Is there any important situation?” Choutaro asked.

“No, Choutaro, he is probably just going to try out clothes or something.” Shishido answered.

The younger Minister did not seem convinced a King would call his council just for some fabrics but when he arrived, followed by the two weavers that held really expensive looking fabrics.

“So, members of my marvelous Council these two weavers came to my domain, proclaiming they could make the most exquisite robes ever made for a King.” Atobe said.

He looked expectantly to his Ministers but none of them seemed to have any reaction. The Minister of Knowledge was still reading his book, disregarding the other presences on the room and the Ministers of Faith and of War were just standing with the same expressions they had been before Atobe entered the room.

“They can make more than the beautiful patterns and colors you see on their hands, they will create only for me a special type of cloth. A cloth that would not be seen by anyone that is useless on my reign or is particularly dumb.” The King continued, amazed with his possible new robes. With them he would easily be able to discover those who were unfit for their positions or for living on his capital. He was already very perceptive with his subordinates, but not even him, the sublime King Atobe I, would be able to notice the fools present in an entire Kingdom, so he would use the new robes to help him on that.

For some seconds there was still no reaction from the Ministers, but the silence was broken by a loud laugh, incoming from the Minister of Knowledge. He tried, without success, to cover his actions behind the book.

“Minister Oshitari, what do you find so funny about my future robes?” The King inquired.

Atobe could not notice the weavers had smiles behind him. Shishido did notice it, and realized his first impressions about those two were correct. They were just swindlers, but he also knew it was impossible to convince the King of that, now that he had the idea on his head.

“Ato… Your Majesty, don’t you think it is a bit improbable the existence of a fabric with those capabilities?” The Ministry of Knowledge asked, ignoring the King’s previous question.

“Of course not. They showed me references from their previous clients, so for sure they are capable of completing the task. Pay them so they can start working on my new robes today.” Atobe answered.

The ministers complied and passed the next hours watching the pretense weavers take measurements of the King’s body, while Yuushi and Shishido tried not to laugh and Choutaro was still unsure of that situation.

Fuji and Niou took the King’s money and went back to their workshop, but they did not buy any thread or any silk, just worked on empty looms, pretending to weave for the next weeks.

Atobe was impatient because he hadn’t received news on the robes he ordered so he sent his Minister of Faith to check how the weavers were doing, since it would be a disgrace for a King to leave his castle for such trivial matters.

“Minister Ootori, go check how those weavers were doing, and report to me before the end of the day.” He said.

Choutaro left the castle feeling greatly unsure what he was supposed to do. His religious mind still believed something like an invisible cloth was impossible to exist and Shishido also though the King was getting scammed by the weavers.  But he also believed no one would go as far to try to fool a King like Atobe. He was not the most common King but he was very generous and cherished by the population, even with his flamboyant ways. So the faith minister decided to trust on his King and go to check how the weavers work was going.

But when he entered on their workshop he could not see a thing on the looms and that made him question his abilities of being a Minister.

“Can you see how beautiful the fabric is? Asked Niou.

“Would you come near and see how the colors would fit well your precious King?” Continued Fuji.

Poor Ootori did not know what to say, if he said something the King may determine him unworthy of the position he worked so hard to get, but it did not matter how much he forced his vision, for him the looms still looked empty. Still he nodded, agreeing with the weavers and returning to the castle to give his reports to the King.

“So Minister, what did you think of my new robes?” King Atobe asked.

“It really felt like magic, my King.” Ootori answered. It was his only way of not showing that he had been incapable of seeing the fabric. The King did not seem very pleased with the lack of details on his description but did not ask again.

One month passed and the entire town was talking about the robes and it’s magical power to distinguish the brilliant from the foolish, the wise from the moronic. Baron Mizuki wanted those robes for himself, so he sneaked out of his Mansion during the night and went to check the weaver’s work.

He tried to look through the windows but his modest height did not allow him to, so he pulled one of the wooden boxes that were there and climbed on top of it. Looking inside he could not see a single thread or fabric, only empty looms.

“This is impossible I cannot be an unworthy person, I am the most magnificent noble on the entire Kingdom!” Exclaimed him to the dark night.

When he gave up on trying looking at the invisible thread, he went to get down of his wooden box, but was scared by a street cat and fell on the muddy floor. Dirtying and messing his rose robes.

The following week the King finally received news from his clothes, it came on a letter where the weavers determined they would need more gold to finish the job, or they would not be able to craft robes that were deserving of The King’s glory. Atobe was already a bit suspicious of that lack of information on his clothes. Every single one of the servants he had sent did not have clear explanations on how his robe looked so he took his most trusted advisors, The Ministers of War and of Knowledge, and went to visit the weavers himself.  The Minister of Faith somehow got sick on the same day they would do the visit.

The Minister of Knowledge, Oshitari, was mildly interested oh what those scammers would show to the King, so he was the first one to enter the workshop and, as expected, he could not see any thread there.

When the King noticed he, also could not see the fabric, he spoke up to the weavers.

“Anh? Why is the fabric invisible to me as well?” Atobe knew he was an amazing King so the robe must have been broken, for not being appearing to him.

The weavers stared at one another, thinking about an answer out of that question.

“It is because the robe is specially made for you, majesty. So it will only appear for others.” Fuji said.

“Yes, exactly what my associate said, my King.” Niou agreed.

The King was still suspicious so he asked his Ministers for their opinions. Shishido was the first to answer, already removing his sword and preparing to attack.

“They are scammers, majesty. Order me to behead them.” He said.

Before he could do anything, Yuushi stepped in front of them stating his opinion.

“My King, your clothes look amazing. The fabric is the most wonderful I ever seen, it will fit your praiseworthy appearance completely, majesty.” The sarcasm was evident on the Minister voice, but Atobe did not catch it, and, trusting on Oshitari, agreed to pay more and to let the weavers finish their work. The weavers promise they would finish the robes until the big procession to celebrate the anniversary of the Charm Point Kingdom.

When they left the workshop Shishido could clearly see a smile on the blue haired Minister face.

The night before the procession many travelers arrived at the capital, having heard of the fascinating robes the King ordered to produce. It would be the greatest festivity ever heard, the day the King would show his magical robes to the population. The weavers burned 10 candles, pretending to craft the robes through the entire night.

Fuji and Niou reached the court, where the King was standing waiting near his ministers and some court Nobles and showed their empty hands.

“Mejesty, here are the trousers, this is the shirt and this is your cape.” Said Fuji pointing to Niou’s empty hands that were standing like he was holding something.

“They were made to be lighter than spider webs, when you put them on it will be like you are not wearing anything.” Niou added.

Oshitari agreed with the weavers suggesting to the King to stand in front of the full body mirror, so they could help him dress up. The Minister of Knowledge almost could not contain his laugh.

“Any problem, minister?” Asked the King.

“No, your new robes are just so righteous I am happy for an amazing king like you to have acquired them.” Answered Oshitari.

Shishido and Ootori were standing nearby, not commenting anything about the naked King or his robes.

When the weavers finished dressing Atobe, they commented how sublime his clothes looked, and all his ministers and the nobleman agreed. Baron Mizuki was green in jealousy because he still could not see the robes.  A voice came from the front door alerting them, the canopy was ready for the procession.

Atobe had a strange feeling when he climbed up the canopy. He was still feeling very revealed at that moment but when the procession started and he heard the population praising his new robes, a bit of his suspicion faded. Nobody confessed they couldn’t see anything and if the King had looked back, he would have seen his trusted ministers on the canopy behind him, laughing from their naked King, which was showing his private parts for the entire capital and all the visitors there.

The little boy whose name was Akaya could not understand what was happening, his mother had always taught him, he could not go out of his bedroom naked, but everybody was praising the King for doing the same, so he asked.

“But he doesn’t have anything on, Mother, why did they let him out of his room without any clothes?”

His father, Genichiro Sanada, looked at his child and back at the King finally realizing he was not wearing anything, so he shouted to his wife.

“Dear, he doesn’t have anything on! Cover Akaya’s eyes.”

“Such a fool King we have.” Seiichi commented.

That small comment from little Akaya made the population start whispering between them.

“He hasn’t anything on.” Whispered them.

After a few seconds the entire town and the visitors shouted.

“But he hasn’t got anything on!”

Atobe shivered, noticing his suspicions were correct. But his pride would never allow him to stop the procession, it did not matter that the rest of the nobility was laughing at him, together with the entire population. He walked as proudly as ever, holding his head high, and when the procession came to an end he stopped to make a speech. Still naked.  In front of everybody.

“Citizens of my Kingdom! This event today was made to teach you that we should not be content with our current positions! I invented an invisible magic robe to show you that we need to have higher ambitions and always improve ourselves not importing the situation!” There was a small silence after his speech but after a few seconds the entire population cheered for him, falling into his petty excuse.

If he would search on the best bar of the town the two weavers and his Knowledge Minister were there, sharing the money and celebrating their victory.

For the next years every single artist and musician on that kingdom made paintings and pieces telling about the day their King walked naked around the city, to teach them a lesson.


End file.
